A 20-year-old from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, Shaik Rasheed, impressed everyone with his traditional approach during his IPL debut for the Chennai Super Kings.
Who is Shaik Rasheed?
Shaik Rasheed, a 20-year-old U19 World Cup winner for India, has been a regular player for Andhra Pradesh in domestic competitions. He is a consistent middle-order batter who employs a traditional ‘V’ technique from the very first ball in today’s modern game. Throughout 19 matches for Andhra, he has scored 1,204 runs at an impressive average of 46.04, including a double century in his first-class career.
In the T20 competition, Rasheed has played 17 matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 352 runs with a strike rate of 127.07. As mentioned earlier, he was part of the U19 World Cup-winning team in 2022, in which he scored over 200 runs, including two fifties.
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During the 2023 mini-auction, CSK acquired him for his base price, and he was often seen as a substitute fielder for the team. CSK showed their confidence in the youngster by bringing him back for 30 lakhs (his base price) in the recent IPL 2025 Mega Auction.
An Impressive Debut by the 20 year old
After two years of waiting, the talented player made his debut for the struggling Super Kings against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium. Despite his reputation as a formidable middle-order batter, he replaced Devon Conway to open the innings alongside Rachin Ravindra. Rasheed's first impression was eye-catching as he pulled the ball beautifully in the mid-wicket area.
His stance and batting style reminded many of CSK’s captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is sidelined due to injury. His conventional shot selection and ability to find gaps gave CSK a strong start in the powerplay, and he played with the intent to capitalize on the first six overs of the match.
Although his innings was brief, he was dismissed by Avesh Khan with a slow bouncer. Shaik Rasheed made a commendable 27 runs off 19 balls, including six fours.
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Overall, the long-awaited debut was worth it, as he impressed everyone with his shot selection. His contribution helped CSK finish strong in the powerplay with a score of 59/1, paving the way for an MS Dhoni and Shivam Dube strong finish leading to a 5-wicket victory over LSG at the Ekana Stadium. Shaik Rasheed is certainly one to watch this season.
